Coat drive kicks off at tonight's Beaufort High football game | Hilton Head Island Packet

The 20th annual Furniture Warehouse Design Gallery Coat Drive kicks off tonight when Beaufort High host Summerville in high school football.

Fans are asked to bring extra jackets, coats and thick sweaters to donate.

Collection boxes for the drive will be available from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. outside the football stadium. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

"We are expecting a few thousand fans to cheer us on, and if they each brought a jacket or coat they aren't going to wear anymore, what a difference that could make to this community," Beaufort High principal Dan Durbin said in a release.

Over the past 19 years, coat drive founders Robyn and Larry Mark have helped collect and distribute more than 33,000 coats to Lowcountry families in need. Last year, locals contributed 3,166 gently-used outerwear. This year, the goal is 3,483 coats, jackets and thick sweaters.

The drive runs through Dec. 31. Donations can be dropped off at Furniture Warehouse Design Gallery at 745 Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort; Bluffton Self Help at 1264 May River Road in Bluffton; all BB&T branch offices in Beaufort County; 1008 William Hilton Parkway, Unit A, on Hilton Head Island; 200 Main Street, Suite 101, on Hilton Head Island; 2 Burnt Church Road in Bluffton; 1 Kemmerlin Lane on Lady's Island; 905 Port Republic Street in Beaufort; and Carolina Stamper, 203A Carteret Street, in downtown Beaufort.

For additional information about FWDG or the Coat Drive, call Larry Mark at 843-524-8695.